Conduct independent analysis of Expressway Authority

The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority was created by the Florida Legislature to ensure that all money collected by tolls would stay in Miami-Dade County, instead of going to state funds.

While the creation of MDX has had benefits for our community, the way the entity operates has negative results for the local economy due to excessive increases in fees and the addition of more tolls. Those measures not only harm the highway user, the additional costs cause businesses to increase the prices of their products and services. Miami-Dade residents should be clear that we are all responsible for the decisions of MDX because of our indifferent response so far.

Two subjects must be considered: First, there is not an independent evaluation of MDX; secondly, the Board of Directors is not composed of members who have been elected by the citizens of our county. Only one of the 13 members is an engineer; the others are lawyers and bankers. We must recognize that all county municipalities are affected by MDX decisions, and should share responsibility and have a voice, too.

We are petitioning the mayors and commissioners of the municipalities to begin an independent evaluation regarding the management of MDX.

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In the United States, there precedent for having an independent evaluation conducted by an established and respected third party. In this case, we are suggesting that the engineering departments from either Florida International University and/or the University of Miami be contacted about the efficient use of MDX funds.

Our organization, the Union of Press Contributers, is against any inclusion of mayors or commissioners as members of the MDX board of directors and join others that want an honest evaluation of MDX.

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Re Fabiola Santiago’s Dec. 14 column, “The ethics of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and his lobbyist sons stink,” about my sons and my ethics: First, my son Carlos J. (C.J.) does not lobby Miami-Dade County government. He is a lawyer who was working in the government legal affairs field before I was elected mayor in 2011.

Yet he has not been active in any county business. Santiago initially included him as an active lobbyist in the online version of her column, then when advised that he is listed as “not active lobbyist” — as posted on the county website — she did not include the date of Jan. 27, 2011 that is listed as the last “inactive.”